MOSCOW, January 19. /TASS/. The United States stated at talks with Russia on security guarantees that it viewed the demand on NATO’s non-expansion as fundamentally unacceptable, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said at the Valdai International Discussion Club on Wednesday.
"They told us absolutely clearly that the demand on NATO’s non-expansion was fundamentally unacceptable. The idea of the alliance’s return to the 1997 situation in Europe was perceived negatively," the senior Russian diplomat said.
"The American side made it clear that practical progress in the areas of interest for us was contingent on strict compliance with the principle of reciprocity, the mandatory participation of US allies and partners in resolving issues concerning their interests and so-called de-escalation measures on our part, i.e. pulling out particular forces and capabilities to some distant territory, some remote frontiers but all within Russia," Ryabkov added.
On December 17, 2021, the Russian Foreign Ministry released a draft agreement on security guarantees between Russia and the United States and a draft agreement on ensuring the security of Russia and NATO member states. The Russia-US consultations on this issue took place in Geneva on January 10, followed by a meeting of the Russia-NATO Council in Brussels on January 12 and a session of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Permanent Council in Vienna on January 13.